Refractory grid

ABSTRACT

THIS INVENTION RELATES TO A REFRACTORY GRID COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ABUTTING SECTIONS, THE SIDE WALLS OF EACH SECTION WHICH ABUT AN ADJACENT SECTION BEING FORMED OF CONTIGUOUS PORTION ALTERNATELY BEV ELED INWARDLY DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY DOWNWARDLY FROM THE TOP EDGE OF THE SIDE WALLS.

NOV. 23, 1971 w, w M R 3,621,621

REFRACTORY GRID Filed April 20, 1970 FIGZ.

INVENTOHI WALTER W. KRA M ER Md g ATTUR United States Patent 3,621,627 REFRACTORY GRID Walter W. Kramer, Allentown, Pa., assignor to Fuller Company, Catasauqua, Pa. Filed Apr. 20, 1970, Ser. No. 30,117 Int. Cl. E04]: 5/04; E04c 2/04 US. Cl. 52-608 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF INVENTION In fluid bed reactors, it is common practice, as set forth in Pat. No. 3,467,738, to form large diameter monolithic refractory grids with air passages therethrough. In the past such grids have been constructed either by using a pluralityof tapered bricks or by being cast in a mold as an integral mass. In the former method it was not possible to provide properly spaced holes and in the latter stresses were formed in the finished casting causing it to crack so as to be unusable.

The use of cast sections assembled to form a grid or the casting of sections as set forth in Pat. No. 3,467,738 have been utilized to overcome these drawbacks, but they are not entirely satisfactory since these individual sections when in use tend to move in a vertical direction (up or down) due to the force of the material above the grid or due to the force of the fiuidizing gas from below the grid. Attempts to overcome this problem have included arch key arrangements, as well as horizontal tongue and groove joints, but these lack the strength to resist vertical movement, particularly against forces acting on the bottom surfaces of the individual sections of the grid. With a key arrangement the usual forces in a reactor can easily move a section, and with tongue and groove type joint there is a. shearing force on the tongue portion causing it to readily fracture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A grid assembly has now been found having a locking arrangement so that when the unitary grid is formed from individual sections the individual sections cannot be moved in a vertical direction by a force applied either to the top or the bottom of the grid.

The instant invention comprises a refractory grid comprising a-plurality of abutting sections, the side walls of each section which abut an adjacent section being formed of contiguous portions alternately beveled inwardly downwardly and upwardly downwardly from the top edge of the side walls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 represents an individual section that is part of the refractory grid of the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a series of sections in abutting relationship about a central section and forming a refractory grid in a fluid bed reactor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION While the instant invention is suitable for the formation of perforated grids which can be used in various apparatus, it is particularly suitable in fluid bed reactors and will be described in connection therewith.

3,621,627 Patented Nov. 23, 1971 Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a cast section 10 having a substantially fiat top 11 and bottom 12 surface but whose side walls 13 consist of contiguous portions 14 beveled inwardly downwarly and outwardly downwardly, respectively, from the top edge 15 of the walls 13. As used herein the terms beveled inwardly downwardly and beveled outwardly downwardly refer to the angle which the surface of the portions of the side walls make with the plane taken at right angles to the top surface 11 of the sections through the edges 15 thereof. The individual section 10 is shown in abutting relation so that the beveled portions 14 mate with corresponding portions of a central section 16 to form a unitary grid 20. It will be evident that the joint formed by such beveled portions will securely lock the sections together and they cannot be moved in any vertical direction, whether the force applied is from above or below. As to materials of construction the sections 10 can be made of any of the usual refractory materials or metals used to make refractory grids.

The method of making the individual sections forms no part of the instant invention, but if refractory materials are used they can be made by the method set forth in Pat. No. 3,467,738, wherein alternate sections are first cast, followed by casting of the remaining sections, while the grid form is in place in the reactor. It is also possible to mold or shape the sections individually, and the individual units assembled and then placed in the reactor.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 2 wherein a central section 26 has side walls which do not have the alternate beveled portions. Because of the polygonal shape of this central section, when a shape is used having an even number of sides more than four it is possible to prevent vertical displacement thereof by having each entire side wall beveled either inwardly or outwardly downward so long as its adjacent side wall is beveled in an opposite direction. In such event the side walls of the sections 20 abutting; the side walls of the central section will be beveled, correspondingly, either inwardly or outwardly.

Also while the embodiments of the invention illustrated show the grid as consisting of only one circumferential outer ring of sections and a central section, it will be understood that two or more circumferential rings of sections can be used together with a central section as shown in Pat. No. 3,467,738.

It will be understood that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the disclosure of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A refractory grid comprising a central section and a plurality of circumferential sections spaced about said central section, the side walls of said central section and said circumferential sections being in abutting relationship, the side walls of each circumferential section which abut an adjacent circumferential section being formed of contiguous portions alternately downwardly inwardly beveled and downwardly outwardly beveled from the top edge of said side walls.

2. The refractory grid of claim 1 wherein all side walls of said circumferential sections and said central section which abut any adjacent section have said beveled portions.

3. The refractory grid of claim 1 wherein each side wall of said central section is beveled either inwardly downwardly or outwardly downwardly from the top edge thereof and is beveled in a direction opposite to that of its adjacent side walls, and the side walls of the circumferential sections abutting said central section are beveled,

correspondingly, either inwardly downwardly or outwardly downwardly to remain in abutting relationship with the side walls of said central section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,024,595 12/1935 Petit 264-30 X 3,340,831 9/1967 Stein et a1. 52-575 X JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner 5 G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

